The Magic North exhibition, which focused on Nordic turn-of-the-century painting, was produced by Nationalmuseum, the Ateneum in Helsinki, and the National Museum in Oslo. It was on tour in Japan for an entire year, visiting four different museums around the country.
The Magic North showcased Nordic painting from the latter half of the 19th century to the early 20th century. It presented around 70 works owned by the national galleries of Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Visitors could marvel at atmospheric and poetic artworks that reflect the climates, landscapes, histories, and cultures of the Nordic countries. Four major themes were the birth of Nordic Romanticism, Scandinavian nature, ancient mythology and fairy tales, and the lives of people in the Nordics.
Ernst Josephson, The Water Sprite, 1882. Oil on canvas.
Anna Boberg, Mountain Lake. Study from North Norway. Oil on cardboard, mounted on cardboard.
Anders Zorn, Kål-Margit, 1901. Oil on canvas.
Carl Stefan Bennet, View of The Royal Palace in Stockholm. Winter. Oil on canvas.
August Malmström, Dancing Fairies, 1866. Oil on canvas.
Nils Kreuger, The Mountain Håstensberget near Varberg II, 1896. Oil on canvas.
From March 2024 to March 2025, The Magic North was touring Japan. It was hown at four museums across the country:
- Sompo Museum of Art, Tokyo, 23 March–9 June 2024
- Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Nagano, 13 July–23 September 2024
- Sagawa Art Museum, Shiga, 5 October–8 December 2024
- Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Shizuoka, 1 February–26 March 2025